Crawford avalanche. (Grayling, Mich.) 1879-19??, 1887-07-21
THE PRESIDENT.
Mr.. Cleveland Recalls the Old Days
When He Was q Student at
School.
Celebration Of the Hundredth Aunt
versary of the City Of Olin-
ton, n. Y.
[clinton IN. " telegram

President Cleveland and party reached
Clinton, from Holland Patent, at 10 a. m.
Wednesday, to attend the centennial ex-
ercises of the town. A great crowd
greeted the Presidential party upon its
arrival. The party was escorted by
tho Jacksonians to Mrs. o. S. Will
Jams residence, where ii was greeted
by prominent members of the Centen-
| nial Committee and many venerable cih-
going over its route.
After the parade the President spent an
hour in receiving callers at Mrs. Williem",
home, and over thr se thousand people
were presented.
The exercises in the park began at 2
o'clock, the Rev. Henry Darling, President
of Hamilton College, Offering the opening
prayer. The Rev. Il. p. Powell then made
an address of welcome, TO which the Pres
ident responded as follows;
II am by no means certain Of my standing
here among those who cele brate the centennial
| OF Clntons existence as a village. Ny recol-
| lections of the place reach backward but about
Very 5ro peoS But those
| tions are fresh and distinct to-day, and pleas
ant, too, though not entirely free from some
somber coloring. 1t was hero in the school at
the foot of College Hill that began my prep
aration for college life and enjoyed the antici-
patton OF collegiate education. We had two
| teachers In our school. One became after
/ ward a judge in Chicago and the other
passed through the legal profession TO the
ministry, and within the last two years was liv-
tHfotish efoSf books sef' ~ tht otfksQ
| boys had large, nice modern editions of Virgil,
/ with big print and plenty OF notes to help one
| over hard places. Mine was a little, old-fash-
L g.kl NaoI hnfCw
with no notes, and which was only translated
| by hard knocks. believe have forgiven those
other boys for their persistent refusal to allow
me the use OF th0ir notes in their books. Az
| any rate they do not seem to have been over
| taken by any dire retribution, AZ one OF them 10
now rich and prosperous lawyer in Buffalo
ana the other ID professor In your college and
| orator of to-days celebration.
struggles with ten lines OF Virgil which at
first made up my daily task are amusing as as
| forced to remember that instead OF being the
beginning of higher education for which hon
estly ionged, they occurred near tno ena ol my
| ment which no lapse of time can alleviate, and
| a deprivation have sadly felt with every pass
| ing year. / remember Benoni Butler and his
| story. don't know whether he was an habitual
| poet or not. but heard him recite one poem OF
his own manufacture, which embodied an 40
count of a travel to or from Clinton in the early
days. 1 can recall but two lines Of the poem,
as follows:
"Paris Hill next came in sight
And there we tarrted over night.
| II remember the nextdoor neighbors, Drs.
Bissell and Scollard and good, kind neighbors
they were, too; not your cross, grabbed Kind,
who could not bear to see boy about. IL al
ways seemed to me that they drove very nne
horses and for that reason thought they must
be extremely rich. don't know that should
| indulge in further recollections that must seem
| very little like a centennial history, but want
| to establish as well as / can my right TO be
here. 1 might have spoken OF the college
faculty, who cast such pleasing though sober
1 ,I. Of ftvn nyar ma MI w
| other educated and substantial citizens, made
| up the pest OF social life. was boy then
lasting @ spprecistion 81 the intelligence, Of the
refinement which made this delightful
home. -
friends II yield to the impulse which the
mention Of home creates and speak Of my own
home here, and how through tho memorie
iationship to your village Here it was that oul
family circle entire, parents ana children hveo
day after day in loving, affectionate converse
| and here, for the last time, we met around Tho
family altar and thanked God that oui
household was unbroken by desti
separation noo nsysr Stsr %sS ssnS Oseine ths
and death followed closely our departure. AnC
, thus it is that as, with advancing years, 1 sur
yey the havoc death has made and the thought
OF my early home become more and more sa
cred, the remembrance of this pleasant spot 81
, rotated is revived and chastened. can onl,
! add my thanks for the privilege OF being Will
} YOU to-day, and wish for the village OF Cltntoi
In the future q continuation and increase OF tn
; blessings Of the past
Prof. A. G. Hopkins delivered the his
torical address, Prof. Root the Grafton, ant
Clinton Scollard the poem.
The literary exercises were followed by
, banquet. To the toast The President O.
} the United States" Mr.. Cleveland respond
I cd as follows:
! lam inclined to content myself on this 90
| casion with an acknowledgement on behalf 0
, | the people of the United States OF the compl
ment which you have paid 10 1ne once wnio
5 | knovledgment suggests an idea which ca
4 | not refrain from dwelling upon for a moment
! That the office OF President of the United State
= | does represent the sovereignty Of 60OOJ,000 Q
u | people is to my mind statement full OF so
0 emnity for this sovereignty conceive 70 b
a the working out or enforcement OF the divin
= gift of man TO govern himself, and n manifei
= tatlon OF Gods plans concerning the huma
y race. .
q OF the utmos. care and circumspection in th
solection OF the incumbent On the contrary
believe there Is no ion 0s ciention
It deliberation than this. But am speaking
q the citizens duty to the ofico and its selecte
| incumbent. This duty Is only performed whel
: in the interest Of the entire people, the fu
exercise of the powers OF the Chief Magistra'
: is insisted on, and when, for the people
snfety n due regard for the limitations place
upon the Office is exacted. These things shoul
l. be enforced by the manifestation OF calm an
enlightened public opinion, But this shouid ~
be simulated by the mad clamor OF disa
l. pointed interest which, without regard for Il
r. general good or allowance for the exercise
a official Judgment would degrade the ohco
forcing compliance with selfish demands.
j 'If your President should not be OF the pc
% ple and one Of your fellow-citizcns he would
utterly unfit for the position, incapable
understanding the peoples wants al
careless of their desires. That he
- one of the people implies that he
:, ~ subject to human frailty and error, b
~ he should be permitted to claim but Il
~ ~ tie federation for mistakes The generosity
lo his felow-citzens should alone decree how
~ good intentions should excuse his shortcoI
u ! ings. Watch woll, then, this high Office, q
~ most precious possession OF American citize
~ n shin. Demand for it the most complete deN
~. tion on the part of him TO whose custody it mi
~ be intrusted, and protect II not less violent
- from unworthy assaults from without In
~ will you perform n sacred duty to yourselv
n aud 70 those who may follow you In the enio
10 ment Of tho freest institutions which Heav
has ever vouchsafed 10 man.